CME Group launches Nasdaq crypto index futures with eight coins

CME Group is opening a new product category in the crypto market: the Nasdaq CME Crypto Index Futures. These futures are cash-settled based on the Nasdaq CME Crypto Settlement Price Index, a benchmark that measures the performance of the largest and most traded cryptocurrencies. From 9 June 2026, the index components will consist of Bitcoin, Bitcoin Cash, Ethereum, Solana, XRP, Cardano, Chainlink and Stellar Lumens.

Bitcoin is available at OKX and Bybit.

What are the Nasdaq CME Crypto Index Futures?

The new futures are designed to give investors broad exposure to the crypto landscape without having to buy individual coins. At expiration, the contracts are financially settled based on the value of the Nasdaq CME Crypto Settlement Price Index. That index tracks the largest cryptocurrencies by market capitalisation and trading volume.

The index currently includes eight coins: the Bitcoin price stands at $61.274 with a decline of 2.7% in the past 24 hours, but Ethereum, Solana, XRP, Cardano, Bitcoin Cash, Chainlink and Stellar Lumens are also part of the composition.

CME sees big opportunity in diversified crypto exposure

Giovanni Vicioso, Global Head of Cryptocurrency Products at CME Group, says the launch is an important step in the expansion of the regulated digital asset market. According to him, investors in the current volatile markets are increasingly looking for diversified exposure to the crypto ecosystem, while maintaining the cost efficiency and transparency that a regulated futures market offers.

Vicioso states that the contracts give customers a cost-efficient way to hedge their risk or to broadly capitalise on opportunities in the crypto market. The move fits into a broader trend in which large financial institutions are increasingly offering structured crypto products to institutional investors.